Contributing Factors, Consequences, and Community-Based Responses to Drug Addiction: A Qualitative Study in Quetta City

Abstract

The aim of this study was to know the factors that contribute to drug addiction, its consequences, and community-based interventions. The study titled “Factors contributing to drug addiction in Quetta city: A study of consequences and community-based interventions” examined the factors contributing to drug addiction in Quetta city; it explored what its consequences are on individuals' lives and analyzed how effective community-based interventions are and what challenges they face. A qualitative approach was used for this study. Two groups of participants were selected: recovering drug addicts and staff members of four rehabilitation centers in Quetta. A total of 28 participants were chosen using purposive sampling. There were two in-depth interview guides that were used as a tool for data collection. The findings of the study revealed that there are various factors, such as socioeconomic vulnerability, social and environmental influence, and stress and mental evasion, that contribute to drug addiction. Furthermore, the findings also revealed that many participants faced various consequences, such as health and psychological deterioration, social isolation and family disruption, and economic decline. Furthermore, it also disclosed that various addicts were involved in criminal activities such as theft and drug trafficking after becoming addicts. Moving on, the findings also uncovered that the interventions were not effective in the long term because of inadequate resources and weak family support.